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Friday, December 5, 2008

The Walkmen - You & Me

2008 is fading away fast and there are already a few year end lists upon us, so now is the time to tie up the loose ends and quickly post about albums that will most certainly be gracing my own year end list. This one is kind of unexpected. No doubt you have already heard of The Walkmen and their third album, You & Me. Of course you have, they’re pretty much an indie mainstay after Bows + Arrows. Well, I never listened to Bows + Arrows, or the follow up to that record for that matter. Yep, I’m a fresh faced bandwagoneer on The Walkmen and You & Me is the first thing of theirs that I’ve ever heard. Initially, I just listened to the record just to give myself a good survey of any album that received marginally positive reviews this year. You & Me has definitely received those. In fact, you’ve all probably heard it already, am I right? Well, I like to pretend I'm a humble fellow, and though my musical taste usually veers toward noisier, more abstract music, I think I can appreciate a well made, old fashioned indie record as well as anyone else. The Walkmen’s You & Me is a testament to that. What began as a cursory listen slowly grew into a marginal interest which then advanced into a genuine enjoyment and subsequently into a full blown appreciation for a superbly solid, intrinsically classy album. Turns out I love this album. It’s nothing I can describe aptly. I’m better equipped to champion records that sound like transmissions from outer-space. Yet, You & Me fits all too perfectly into my head, like the dusky soundtrack to a generally OK life. It is not that my life is really any different than any other, but You & Me is like the songs at the end of the movie that let you know that, despite the cringe worthy and stressfully depressive times, everything is going to be OK. This is the kind of album you want on vinyl. You know - the kind of album that is perfect all the way through. The kind of album that provides the perfect ambience to late night conversations and snowy days coupled with hot chocolate. I don’t know. Maybe that is just me. Anywho, thought I would just reveal my little hearts content with this one, because despite me adoration for difficult-to-pronounce audio oddities like Raccoo-oo-oon, Lau Nau and Kemialliset Ystavat, sometimes you just need something like You & Me to watch the flakes fall. So good.